HOPE
by The TrendSetter
Summary: A ray of hope emerges, even as he passes through the darkest phase of his life.
1. Chapter 1

The stage was decorated well with flower garlands and lamps. Tarika, Ishita and Purvi had seen to it and were happy that it was all done well. Tarika had chosen to light incense sticks instead of using artificial air fresheners and that created a more pleasant aura. The other junior officers were busy as well. Each had specific duties assigned to them and they were at it, heart and soul and all.

Daya walked in just then. He was amazed at the sight that greeted him. The heavily decorated stage and the neatly arranged seats were a treat to his eyes. The fragrance from the flowers and incense sticks overwhelmed his senses. It was his big day and he was getting nervous with every passing minute.

"Hello Daya! You are looking positively radiant in that new suit," said Abhijeet walking in from behind. "Now wait till Shreya sees you. I'm sure she'll go all ga-ga over her man," he added with a twinkle in his eye.

Everybody in the bureau knew that Shreya was attracted to Daya. And she had, many a times, made it quite evident. Though it did thrill him to know that a female colleague was interested in him, he had never reciprocated it – no, not even in the slightest way. He wasn't really sure whether he should encourage the relationship – knowing their nature of work and all.

"Come on Abhijeet, don't start off again," he replied. "This is neither the time, nor the place for all of this. Just help me with this thank you speech please. I think it's a little too brief"

The speech altered, Daya proceeded to the front of the hall.

He was being felicitated for his outstanding achievement in the CID. He couldn't believe it. ACP won it every year. This year though, he had decided to step down and give someone else a chance. Everyone had assumed that Abhijeet would be the next obvious choice. But no, it wasn't. When the mail came in from the head office, CID, New Delhi, everyone was in for a surprise. It was Daya.

Outstanding achiever! He still couldn't believe it. A decade back, he wouldn't have imagined himself in this situation. Life had been a roller coaster ride for him then. He had gone through periods of depression and had even thought of killing himself many a times. Sometimes he had felt that he had just blindly gone along, almost in a daze….

He caught his reflection in a mirror and was satisfied. A little tight, his suit was. But never mind. He looked a lot younger than his 45 years, and he knew that. He could easily pass off as being just 37.

"Daya sir," he heard someone call out to him.

It was Pankaj, his junior. He waved and indicated to him, his seat, on the front row, towards the left side. "Good luck sir, and congrats again" he beamed excitedly before he left, to find the ACP.

Daya looked at the seat again. It had his name, pinned in clean gold letters. He sat down. The hall was getting slowly filled with the team members, who had come down from all over the country, and a few guests from outside. He kept staring at his watch.

He was waiting - Waiting for the two people whom he had reserved the two seats for, one on either side of him. They were still vacant. His daughter Divya, whom he had adopted after the death of her mother, Morissa, a few years ago, had called in to say that she would only be reaching in another 10 minutes. The seat to his left was for his ex-girlfriend, Sonali.

Yes, 'ex-girlfriend'. He felt odd even thinking about it.

…..

Although 10 years had passed, he could still remember every agonizing detail of that fateful day when Sonali had shamelessly disclosed to him that she was a criminal who worked with a bunch of goons and the underworld. 'I love you Daya,' she had said 'But I love my work more.'

"What?... Why?... Are you serious?..." He had asked, remembering all the times that he insulted Abhijeet when he had tried telling him to check on Sonali's activities. He had only read of these things in books and watched them in a few movies. Surely, they couldn't happen in real.. Could they? And to him? No way!

But this was neither. This was reality. He had to accept the bitter truth. His girlfriend of a year had just broken his dream world with that one heart breaking statement. He had been too numb to show any reaction.

Sonali had started off with giving in some justification… "I am so sorry about this Daya… But this is the truth. Raaka and I had decided to get married, way back before I met you. I pretended to love you so that I could just be with you and learn about the movements of CID. But that I've seriously started knowing you, I am beginning to love you. I don't want to make things more difficult for you than it already is and that's why I'm telling you the truth"

"Sonali… why me?" was all that came out his mouth. "I am truly sorry to do this to you. But this is the truth. Look, I can explain…." she began but he could never hear a word of it. His mind was in a whirl…. Sonali with Raaka, that dreaded criminal wanted for the murder of three top businessmen in the country! He couldn't believe it! He just couldn't!

As the gravity of her confession started sinking in, he realized that it was all over between them. How come he hadn't seen any sign of this? Abhijeet, obviously had, which was why he had asked him to keep an eye on her. Then why didn't he? Had he been so dumb? Suddenly the woman standing in front of him looked like a complete stranger to him. She was a criminal and he could see only the evil side to her. All he wanted to do was to get her before the law and away from her as far as possible. He wanted to end their relationship at the earliest - And that's just what he had done.

….

The vibrating mobile in his hands brought him out of his reverie. It was Sonali.

She had reached the venue entrance and was waiting for him. He rushed out and greeted her with a smile. "Hi Sonali," he said. "Thanks for coming at such a short notice."

"Its no big deal. It's the least I can do for you. If it weren't for you and your team, I would have still been the old criminal Sonali. Thank you for talking me out of sin.," she replied in her usual sweet voice.

Daya found himself staring at her. She was the same old sweet beautiful girl he had met 10 years ago. Years had only added a quiet dignity to her face. That could be more because she has come out of jail to live a fully modest and respectable life. Not many who go to jail repent for their errors and make up for their wrong doings. Anyways, he couldn't help but let these thoughts run though his head as he continued to stare at her. It was a face he had loved so much once… but all of it seemed so surreal now.

"Heartiest Congratulations! Its great to know that all your efforts here, at CID has finally paid off.," she continued.

"Did she really mean it?" he thought to himself. He couldn't tell, and frankly, after so many years, he really didn't care.

As they walked back into the hall, his mind had once again wandered off to his years of struggle…

…

….. after the initial shock had settled down, he composed himself and vowed not to shy away from his responsibilities as a CID officer, but face the consequences with a brave face. It was a slow, but sure process he followed to put his life back on track – if not for the others, at least for Divya whom he had adopted a few months back.

"I am going to move on in life Abhijeet," he remembered saying " With or without a wife. This isn't the end of my life, only the end of a chapter and I have li'l Divya with me. So don't worry man. I wouldn't do anything foolish."

Thankfully for him, the trial was a short one. Team CID had all the evidences in place and the forensics supported their theory with necessary tests and samples. The verdict was out. 5 years each for Sonali and another aide Jagga while Raaka gets life imprisonment for the murders.

His only concern was his daughter. Divya, who had already started calling Daya papa, was told that Sonali was going to be her mother. How could he tell her about the new developments?

ACP and the doctor had taken on the responsibility of making the little girl understand and they had done a marvelous job at that. Divya, who was only 8 years old then, after asking a few questions to Daya, had shown a lot of maturity in accepting the situation.

"Kids are probably more aware of things and understood them a lot more clearly than what we adults give them credit for," Fredrick had said and Daya had to accept that it was true.

Now the question was looking after Divya. How was he to that with a job in CID. "Boarding school sir," Sachin was quick to reply. And before he could say anything further, Nikhil and Vivek had a list of the best residential schools in India, printed for him.

It was Daya's turn to make his mind up. Letting her go away from him, he knew was going to be a dauntingly difficult task. But keeping her with him, and having no one to look after her at home wasn't making any sense either. So boarding school it is, he had decided.

With moral support from all of his colleagues, he began his arduous struggle of juggling between being a CID officer and a part-time father. Who would have imagined that his perfect (or so he thought) love would end so suddenly?

His journey of self discovery since then had proved to be both spiritual and fruitful as he began to shine more and more in his chosen field of work.

…..

And today was the day that his 10 year struggle was getting recognized.

Yet again, his vibrating mobile was what brought him back to reality. It was Divya this time. "Sorry papa," she said walking towards him and almost flinging herself on the 6 foot something man. "I was held up in traffic and that's why I am late."

"Its ok darling" was all Daya could say before the lights were dimmed and the function began.

...to be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

The prayer song was the first program for the day and everybody duly stood up as the team sang the prayer song. Lamps were being lit next, by some of the senior officials including DCP Chitrole and ACP Pradyuman. Once the basic formalities were done with, it was the ACP's turn at giving a speech on Daya's commitment and contribution thus far, to CID and the country in general.

Just as Divya sat down comfortably to listen to the speech, she noticed that the person sitting next to her fater was, Sonali. She nearly fell off her seat in surprise. "Papa, why her?" she whispered into Daya's ears. He just gave her a perfunctory nod. Sonali, who had by then noticed Divya, and vaguely recognized her, came over to enquire about her studies. After exchanging formal pleasantries with her, Divya settled down with the quizzical expression still on her face.

"You will soon know. Just have patience," Daya replied.

The speech had just ended and the applause was almost deafening. Divya was just opening her eyes, which had automatically shut tight owing to the noise around and she saw Shreya walk towards them. She looked absolutely stunning in the peacock blue sari that she was wearing. Her encouragement had been instrumental in instilling quite a bit of self-confidence in Daya. He gave her an admiring glance as she addressed Divya in her pleasant voice, "How have you been Divya? Enjoying your holidays? Aha! You must be chilling out with friends the whole day."

She then turned her attention towards Daya and said to him "Sir, it would be great if you and Divya can come home tonight for dinner. I have arranged the perfect dinner for the two of you. Would you accept my invitation?"

And before either of them could reply, her name was called out for the group dance and she rushed on to the stage. Divya sat looking at the departing figure. She knew Shreya aunty, like she called her, quite well. She had come to visit her at her boarding school a couple of times when she was unwell and had even taken her out. She also knew that she was her Papa's special friend.

Daya on the other hand was thinking about something else. He had met Shreya's parents earlier in the day at the mall and they were on the lookout for a suitable groom for Shreya. "That's nice," he had told them then, but wasn't very sure sure about it.

…..

As he sat musing over his past, it suddenly struck him that although he recollected the events quite clearly, there was neither a single tear in his eyes nor any bitterness in his heart. It was almost as if he was watching a movie and not recollecting instances from his life. Every experience had taught him something new and they all made him tougher in their own special ways, so much that he now felt empowered enough not to be affected by his past.

He was enjoying life currently and knew that inadvertently or unintentionally, Sonali was responsible in getting him where he was today. ACP sir's speech was a testimony to that – he had, in his speech about Daya, mentioned that his first notable performance was in the case where Sonali and her aide Raaka were captured. It was a case where the team had received no lead whatsoever and if it weren't for Sonali's timely confession to him, the case would have always remained unsolved. If she had not cheated on him and left him in a lurch with a small girl to look after, if he had not seen the darkest depths of despair, he would have probably never realized the extent of his own abilities as an officer and talents as a father.

In a strange metaphorical way, he acknowledged her role in his success.

He felt a sense of closure with his past and it was this sense of detachment that gave him the strength to sit next to Sonali with absolutely no ill feelings in his heart. And this was the reason that he had called Sonali in today. But how was he going to explain all of this to Divya? And even if he did, would she understand?

…

Suddenly Divya's loud clapping brought him back to reality. His name had just been called out. She gave him a big hug and stood up allowing him to go.

Daya walked up the stage confidently, his head held high with dignity. He felt the same excitement in his heart that he had felt as a little boy going up to receive his first school prize.

DCP Chitrole who for once, seemed to be immensely proud of his team had presented a beautiful medal to him. He turned around to face the audience and walked towards the microphone. He could see his team members clap for him like a bunch of crazy teenagers. Nikhil, Freddy and Pankaj were almost jumping in joy. ACP and Salunkhe were giving him a standing ovation. Abhijeet and Shreya had tears of joy in their eyes. Divya's face was beaming with pride.

After the thunderous applause had died down, Daya thanked all of his team members for their support and good wishes.

"First of all, I would like to thank all of you – my senior ACP sir, my colleagues and my team members without whose support I could not have achieved all this." He soon realized that he had forgotten the speech that he had already prepared, but decided to continue anyway.

"I would now like to share with you, a few things that I learnt during my years of struggle. Life is very uncertain and you may find yourself coming face to face with things that you can never even imagine. You must therefore have a positive approach so that you will be able to bravely face any of the challenges that life decides to throw up," he paused and found all eyes focused on him.

"Keep challenging yourself and test your abilities in directions you would have thought of exploring," he continued. "Learn to respect your own selves and recognize your own talents and take the trouble to develop them. It may mean that you have to repeatedly do the same thing everyday. Nevertheless, do it without complaining."

"Sometimes, we wait for the untoward to happen before tapping our hidden potential and at that juncture our laid-back attitude and the fear to tread the unknown path could prove to be the biggest obstacle to overcome," he smiled and added, "When I started out, I found all doors in front of me closed. But I found my soul grow stronger with every struggle as I learnt to accept my situation and work towards finding a solution. My solution is this: if you cant open doors, break them!"

He waited for the laughter to die down, before he continued, "So friends, I urge you all to come out of your cocooned existence, uncover your hidden potential and savor every moment. After all, we only get to live once."

"And remember that sometimes, the brightest ray of hope, emerges from the darkest phase of life. We should always be optimistic. Everyday is a little life, so live it, otherwise, it will disappear forever," he concluded with a smile.

"Thank you once again" There was a big round of applause yet again.

He felt a spring in his shoes as he walked down the dais holding on to the medal that had been pinned onto his chest. Everyone congratulated him. Sonali caught his eye, smiled and disappeared into the crowd, never to be seen again – in his life, and otherwise.

Divya hugged Daya excitedly. "Congrats Papa! You deserve it! Every bit of it!" she said looking at the medal on her father's chest, "There is one more thing," she added, "Papa, please accept Shreya aunty's invitation. Please go and have a nice time with her. I know that she is a sweet person and cares for you deeply. Atleast for tonight, relax and enjoy her company. Don't worry about me. I'll pick up a burger. See you after dinner at home"

Giving Daya one last hug, she smiled at Shreya who was waiting nearby and ran before either of them could say a word.

….

"So, shall we leave?" Daya asked Shreya.

She gave him a warm smile and nodded. As he looked at her smiling face, he couldn't help, but wonder where this phase of life would take him.

The car started and for once, he was glad that he wasn't driving. As he sat at the back, with Shreya by his side, he was content with what life had to offer him just then, and he knew in his heart that he was ready to embark on this new ride…

...

**A/N: **That's it! Yet another Dareya for all those who requested for it.

To those of you who wrote in to ask if this is a Dareya story, yes it is! Sorry if it wasn't up to your expectations.

Like it? Leave in a review to let me know that you did. Didn't like it? Leave a review to let me know that as well.

So until we meet again, Live well!


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